A study of characterisation in the novels of George Eliot
A study of characterisation in the novels of George Eliot
A study of characterisation in the novels of George Eliot
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
On <strong>the</strong> whole) Darw<strong>in</strong> avoided <strong>the</strong> teleological bias discernible <strong>in</strong><br />
Spencer. Tn The Orip<strong>in</strong> .~ -Species at leastjalthough-not·<strong>in</strong>·<strong>the</strong>,l;:;ss<br />
scientific \Jork The Descent <strong>of</strong> l.1an, Darw<strong>in</strong> also refra<strong>in</strong>ed from us:i..ng<br />
- -- ..<br />
<strong>the</strong> biological model <strong>of</strong> an organism's relation to its environment to<br />
support <strong>the</strong>ories <strong>of</strong> social, political, economic and oultural orga~sation.<br />
His concern -was with adaptation.Fran~oisJac,:)b -compares his<br />
. approach vlith that <strong>of</strong> Lamarck who ",las still-work<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>a system that<br />
acknowledged <strong>the</strong> fixity <strong>of</strong> species. Jacob declares that "for Lamarck,<br />
when a new organism was formed, its place was alread;.v: marked out <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
ascend<strong>in</strong>g cha<strong>in</strong> <strong>of</strong> be<strong>in</strong>gs. It had <strong>in</strong> advance to repr'sent an improvement,<br />
a progression on.whathad previously existed •••• With Darw<strong>in</strong>, this order<br />
was reversed: <strong>the</strong> formation <strong>of</strong> an orgaI'..ism precedes ".t3 adaptation.<br />
Nature only favours what alrea~ exists. Froductior comes before any<br />
value judgement on what has been produced. ti 35<br />
There has been a crucial shift <strong>of</strong> emphasis. ~Uv':..<br />
Ellegarde suggests<br />
that <strong>the</strong> old question "what causes <strong>the</strong> adaptive var5 -:-!:;ions to occur?fI<br />
has been super"seded by Darw<strong>in</strong>'s new question, "what:t\lses any variation<br />
that happens to be adaptive to be preserved?" 36 The .~~ig<strong>in</strong> ~ S'peci~s<br />
provides <strong>the</strong> answer, and we read <strong>in</strong> it that li<strong>the</strong> 8t;;:' .:>ture <strong>of</strong> every organic<br />
be<strong>in</strong>g is related, <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> most ess6'ltial yet <strong>of</strong>ten hidden manner,<br />
to that <strong>of</strong> all <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r organic be<strong>in</strong>gE" vrlth which - t<br />
comes <strong>in</strong>to competition<br />
for food or residence, or f:rom wh~~ch<br />
it has tc escape, or on which<br />
it preys." 37 Later Darw<strong>in</strong> expresses hi.'3 ad.!:1iration .f' ecological complexity<br />
when he remarks "how <strong>in</strong>f<strong>in</strong>itely complex and ',lose-fitt<strong>in</strong>g are<br />
<strong>the</strong> mutual relations <strong>of</strong> all organic be<strong>in</strong>gs to each cher and to <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
physical conditions <strong>of</strong> life. II 38 In <strong>the</strong>se words Darvv::.n adds his authoritative<br />
voice to <strong>the</strong> chorus <strong>of</strong> sociolog:Lsts and psyc:lologists who Vi'Jre<br />
stress<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> importance <strong>of</strong> IImedium lt or "milieu" and <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>escapable<br />
<strong>in</strong>ter-relationship .between an <strong>in</strong>dividua1 and. <strong>the</strong> soc:ety which ha~:
Change language